We are still about six months away from Illinois basketball playing a game, but it is always fun to see what pundits think about the potential of this program.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Illini have lost a ton of talent. Last year, six out of our top seven players in minutes all left the team for one reason or another.
Brad Underwood was able to snag some key transfer portal players to help build the roster we saw for the 2022-23 campaign. After this past season concluded, a handful of players either graduated, entered the NBA Draft, or decided to transfer out.
Again, Underwood was able to land some talent via the transfer portal. These additions, as well as some returning talent, are why Jon Rothstein thinks Illinois is a top 40 program.
Illinois basketball lands inside the top 40 on the Rothstein 45 for the 2023-24 season
Rothstein, of CBS Sports and Fanduel, broke down who he thinks Illinois has returning and who will be leading the program. The way Rothstein thinks the roster will shake out has him predicting Illinois as the No. 38 team in the nation.
This is ONLY May 6th, but as of today, the Pac-12 has a clear favorite.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 6, 2023
USC is now EIGHTH in the ROTHSTEIN 45.https://t.co/FN7bcCLpP5
Biggest surprise
One of the first things that piqued my interest was the fact Rothstein has Terrence Shannon Jr. returning to the roster.
Shannon has declared for the NBA Draft, but he has a chance to still come back to Champaign. I would venture to say that he doesn’t come back, but maybe Rothstein knows something that I don’t know. Having Shannon return would be great for Illinois’ offense.
While Rothstein has Shannon coming back, he doesn’t have Coleman Hawkins returning. He has Hawkins as a key loss for the Illini. I agree with Rothstein that Hawkins will likely stay in the NBA Draft.
Biggest adjustment
Rothstein has the projected starting lineup of No. 1 Sencire Harris, No. 2 Shannon, No. 3 Luke Goode, No. 4 Quincy Guerrier, and No. 5 Dain Dainja.
If Shannon does return to the lineup, I don’t think he plays the No. 2 guard role. My assumption is that Shannon is going to play the point guard role and be a big-time scorer. He needs the ball in his hands, and there is no better way to do that than to bring the ball up the court.
I also believe that Ty Rodgers is going to start since he is returning to Illinois and not transferring out of the program. I would venture to say that the starting lineup would look something like; No. 1 Shannon, No. 2 Goode, No. 3 Rodgers, No. 4 Guerrier, and No. 5 Dainja. Harris would come off the bench and be a spark plug for the team.